The Rivalry. It has begun.

Are you kidding me?  Are you serious? (please read in a Dickie V voice)  WHAT A GAME!  The Syracuse Orange are now 21-0 for the first time in history, have defeated the Duke Blue Devils in front of the largest crowd in history, AND are the #1 team in the country! ALL IN ONE NIGHT!  Tell me you saw that all coming?  You're lying.  What the team did on the court last night was nothing short of spectacular and if we look a little deeper into it, it's even sweeter

Doing the Carl(ton)

OK so coming into this season we all knew CJ Fair was one of the best players in the nation. But what he showed last night is that he is not just a talented player, he is a leader.  When the team needed him to step up, when they needed someone to take the reigns when Duke took the lead, Carl Keith Fair Jr. was there the pick up the pieces...and slam them through the hoop.  Oh yeah, and he played all 45 minutes of the game.  He did not sit the entire game.  28 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks.  Now that's a stat line.  And don't even get me started on the freak of nature that is Jerami Grant.  While CJ Fair is the unquestioned leader of this team, Jerami Grant has the most raw talent.  I am blown away when I watch that kid play my jaw drops.  24 points, 12 rebounds, and a steal.  The amount of balls that kid had when taking it to the basket, I would have picked him to run over a Range Rover.  That was kind of a shitty metaphor but you know what I'm saying.  Talk about crazy.

Our Freshman is better than your Freshman

Ennis the Menace
Ice water in his veins

Remember when everyone said Jabari Parker was the best freshman in the nation?  Some people said he was even the best player in the nation.  Well last night we witnessed Syracuse's 2 POTY candidates take on Mr. Parker.  And it was no contest.  CJ Fair was CJ Fair.  Then there is the freshman with ice water in his veins.  Tyler Ennis.  Parker's stat line goes like this 16 pts, 9 reb, 1 assist.  Ennis's goes something like this. 14 pts, 3 reb, 9 assists.  And those 14 pts include a PERFECT 8-8 from the line.  Including 2 nothing but netters to put SU up 3 with 5 seconds left.  And when SU needed Ennis in OT he was there and ready to go.  Where was Jabari Parker you may ask? On the bench.  Fouled out.  I will argue to the death that Ennis means more to the Syracuse Orange than any other freshman in the nation.  That includes Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, or anyone else.  Ennis is the glue that keeps this team together.  Without him I legitimately think the Orange would be about 16-5? 15-6?  But with Ennis the team is 21-0...And #1 in the nation.  The kid better stay another year.  I'm gonna be the one to say it.  If he leaves this team will have some major issues next year.  But enough about next year.  Look that the times when he has stepped up.  It's like he looks up sees that there is 5 minutes left and a switch is turned on.  I've never seen a freshman perform so well under pressure and have literally no emotion change on his face.  He never looks rattled or nervous.  In conclusion Ennis > Parker.

Takeaway

Oh yeah...and Bieber
is a Duke fan

What blew me away more than CJ and Jerami's performances was the way the whole team played together look at the stat sheet.  All the starters, minus Rak, had at least 14 points.  The offense came alive last night in a way we have yet to see this season.  And the one that didn't score much, Rak, had the greatest block of his life.  What balls to go in there and have the confidence to get the ball with the possibility of being posterized for the win for Duke.  While I know the team was just as hype for this game as we were, and that can't happen every game, if the team can play half as good of offense as they did last night mixed in with some of the usual 2-3 defense, I think we may be unstoppable.  The one team I'm afraid of is Notre Dame, but let's not get into that.  All I can say is that I am so proud of this team and this school.  Wouldn't wanna be anywhere else.

PROUD TO BE ORANGE! 

Your Orange Foreign Corespondent

-Ron